


Blue Flare

by forwardarcadia



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 02:51:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7600594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forwardarcadia/pseuds/forwardarcadia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And we're back with the elsewhere challenge, featuring some lovely Team Flare angst/regrets for Malva-</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Flare

A trip to Geosenge Town would've attracted suspicion for anyone; After all, it bore the marks of Team Flare's folly and demise worldwide. Even its long-time citizens held a strange contempt for it, the town's infamy clear. With such perceptions in mind, Malva hesitated to mention her intentions there. Among her Elite Four associates, Flare was a source of scathing mirth for them, a mere joke now.

As she tolerated their mockery with silence, her heart bitterly ached. All she could feel for Geosenge was pity, guilt for her former friends. She knew her associates were fine and well, having distanced themselves from Flare's influence. But try as she might, Malva couldn't shake it off entirely. Something within her sought solstice, one which Geosenge's ruins held.

With that in mind, she confided in fellow Elite Siebold one still, fated night. Though both were loathe to admit it, he was in many ways her equal. His own flame was quick to burn, eternal in its passion and fury. It drew her like in like a Mothim, urging her to fall to his beck and call. As such, they often used one another to sate their base desires, their hunger for release.

That evening found Malva as such when she entered his Elite’s chamber. As she drew Siebold close, her heart still ached. Only the softest words passed her lips, a caress along his ears. He listened intently, drinking in the weight of her agony. When all became unbearable to her, he grasped her hands, his touch soothingly tender. With a quick nod, Siebold affirmed his loyalty to her and agreed to follow her to Geosenge later on.

They'd decided late night was the best time for such matters; After all, work held them up otherwise until then, and it allowed them relief from the bustle of Kalos' citizens. She gave him a slight smile, wordlessly sealing their pact. But for all her cruel, stoic control, Malva choked back tears with the very thought. Her eyes were still red, though her tinted glasses concealed it then. 

Neither said anything afterwards, content to let fate just be. As Malva tried to regain her composure, she dabbed her wet eyes. Radiant heat graced her fingertips, a hollow ache of her former flame. She took a deep breath, forcing her strength for her own sanity and his.

When midnight finally came, Malva and Siebold embarked on their trek hand in hand. The trip there was quick and uneventful, allowing darkness' cloak to envelop them. Silence offered them comfort, up to the moment they landed in Geosenge's entrance. As they stepped off of Malva's Talonflame, an eerie ache struck them both. It brought to mind broken promise, the fantasies of a life versed in pain and selfishness.

The force of Geosenge's infamy hit Siebold with a Legendary's force; A phantom ache penetrated his form, akin to Malva's own suffering. He stole a glance at her, at a loss for words. Every last impulse demanded he console her, sate her aching soul. But when he met her gaze, no words spilled forth. Resigned to their fate, they forced themselves to venture along the ruined town.

Once in Geosenge's very center, they stopped to study the monument set there. Text was engraved on it: For, as flame cleanses the Earth, it is the Earth's duty to cleanse the flames of deceit and greed.

Among the surrounding stones, it was rather humble in comparison. Even so, a strange majesty rose from it, beckoning them closer. It took the Ultimate Weapon's place now, a sign of rebirth from chaos. As Malva studied the pale, pristine rock, tears rose once more. She forced them away, only to choke on their hidden weight.

Meanwhile, Siebold dwelled on Geosenge itself, at once in awe and terror of its past. "I was wondering," he mused softly as she turned to him. "Have you spoken to Lysandre lately?" Taken back by his question, Malva stared blankly, unsure of how to reply. Her eyes met his, desperately searching for any gleam of disgust, of contempt. Though their glassy, sapphire pools, she could find none. It offered her a bare sliver of consolation, leading her to shake her head no.

"I understand," Siebold replied as he nodded somberly. "He's off picking up his pieces, too, I suppose." 

Malva choked back a sniffle, and nodded back. Though he remained within reach, all she could see was Flare, its broken promises. The longer she stared into the distance, the more their space illuminated. It was though Xerneas' pure force filled it with lush, lingering life. Arcadia burst forth, full of abundant greenery and frolicking beings. The very beauty they'd sought emerged, made to taunt her so.

For, within it, she saw Flare again. Her former associates welcomed her into the new world, their eyes bright with promise. The very promise she'd been cheated out of. The very promise that all mocked Flare for striving towards. 

It was more than she could take now, to consider her true fate. In a burst of fury, she screamed, forcing Siebold's sight to her. As she grasped flowing, fushcia locks, her heart began to race. Even in the still of night, Malva felt eyes upon her, chiding her very being. Though sapphire orbs were visible, she knew even more were present, hidden out of fear, or shame. And as suddenly as it'd come, she burst into tears, releasing her most hidden agony.

Unsure of how to react, Siebold tried to remain calm. "I'm sorry I don't understand where this is coming from," he admitted as he tapped at his chest. "I thought that you were fine!" Malva instantly froze, her eyes set wide open. Even through tinted glass, he could see the raw pain within their depths. Now even more disgusted with himself, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Malva. I don't know what came over me, but it's just so absurd! I'm seeing this in hindsight, maybe that's it-"

"No, I get it," Malva rasped out as she pulled her glasses off. "You must think me an idiot to have belived Lysandre back then." Her voice trailed off, imparting her words with a pleading air. As Siebold met her gaze, their primal ache remained. With a quick sigh, he drew her close, her body like a rag-doll against his own. She blinked a few times, trying to rid the soreness from swollen eyes. "Yeah, I know how the others talk, Flare's just a fucking joke to them!"

"Well, it's not for me, okay?!" she snapped back, her voice weary and ragged. As she took a deep breath, her form felt light. Even in her pain, solstice swept upon her senses. She slipped her glasses back on, their gleam dull in the darkness. "You don't think I've forgotten, after all this time?! Well, I haven't and it's just-" Her mouth fell open, as though the breath had been forced from her throat. As she struggled to speak, her body only became more hollow. "It's been hell, knowing what we've done. How ugly we really were."

"It's just, now what?" she rasped out as her body quaked. "I shouldn't admit it, but I can't deny it any longer." Coral eyes grew blank, stunned by her honesty. A strange relief rose to have shed her sins, to force them into the open. Though she worried for his response, her faith remained in Siebold's own. "I've been asking myself that ever since the Xerosic incident. What were we, if not the scum of the Earth? Have I lied to myself all these years? It's just, what'll become of me?"

Before she could force herself further, he held her faint form up. "That'll do, Malva," he whispered as he held the small of her back. "I know it's hard, just take your time to sort things out. I'll be here for you, okay?" Sapphire met coral, their owners craving release. "I know you hurt now, more than I ever could've imagined. I think you do need me, and I'm sorry for earlier."

As she fell upon his chest, she could feel his heartbeat. It pulsed with an erratic frenzy, just as she'd known so well. Malva gazed up to him, only to see her own pain within sapphire pools. It was a subtle show of support, that he cared for her sorrow.

In silence, that's all she truly desired then. Even if she couldn't speak forth, she'd gotten the solstice she needed. As they pulled away, Malva shot him a slight smile, an offer to dine in Lumiose on her breath. No more words were needed, as Siebold merely nodded in turn.

With that, they left Geosenge as they'd entered it: Hand in hand, with one another's support given. Darkness offered them a strange comfort, one which hid their deepest agony. Though neither truly knew what would come, they could take it for now. Tomorrow was another day, after all, full of promise and distraction.

Like a flame in the darkness, Malva's Talonflame soared skyward, brilliant and enthralling. As they departed for Lumiose, another pair of sapphire eyes stared on, their owner taken back. As he grasped his Holo Caster, his distant companion sat back, equally in shock.

They remained in darkness, its shade a cloak for their own unease. The longer both stared into the abyss, the more their own guilt rose. Geosenge's infamy was known to them, but only in myth, hidden within a veil of surrealism. But as they thought about Malva's outburst, the truth became clear.

"Geez, I've only heard about it before," Eusine muttered as his heartbeat quickened. "But, now- I wonder what's really eatin' those guys. What do they know we don't?" Unable to give his beloved any answer, all Morty could do was shrug from his distant post. As they continued to peer into the distance, the mysteries of Geosenge beckoned them forth, like prey into a Galvantula's deep, twisted web.


End file.
